page_title: Battle of Acapulco
section_title: First battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Acapulco / First battle
caption_attribution_description: Español: General Juan Álvarez (1790-1867), viejo insurgente que encabezó la revolución de Ayutla contra Santa Anna en 1854.
context_page_description: The Battle of Acapulco were a series of battles during the Second French intervention in Mexico. Acapulco was a key port of the Pacific trade routes and thus changed hands several times in the course of the Franco-Mexican war. In this period the population of the city had decreased from 6000 to 2000.
context_section_description: Juan Álvarez and a group of Indian guerrillas were still in control of Guerrero as well as Acapulco, which were not reached by the French army in the early stages of the intervention. On the morning of January 8, 1863, a French war steamer the Diamant, anchored into the Acapulco port. Captain Le Bris asked for General Diego Álvarez, son of Juan Álvarez, and made several demands: that the Diamant be allowed to take on coal and water, that the General officially denounce the anti-French statements of the Italian-born Mexican officer Luis Ghilardi published in a local newspaper last year, which resulted in the repelling of the French warship La Bayonnaise, the removal of Ghilardi from his position and that all fort defenses be dismantled on sight. On the following day an apology was sent back but the first two demands were declined, and the city began its preparations against the expected attack. At ¾9 am on the 10th a squadron under Rear-Admiral Bouët, consisting of the Diamant, the war steamer Pallas, and two corvettes the Bayonnaise and the Galathée, approached the bay and was immediately opened fire at the forts. The forts returned the fire and after one hour of constant barrage the artillery of Fort Guerrero was eliminated. Ten minutes later Fort Iturbide was silenced and at ten in the morning Fort Galeana had the same fate. Fort Álvarez still actively exchanged shots with the fleet, though the Mexican firing range was half of those of the French. During the bombardment a number of French shells also ripped into the town, until an American envoy objected to it and thus it was ceased.
  The next day at 6 o'clock the siege of Fort Álvarez continued to the afternoon when the ships withdrawn from its range. Their fire was returned effectively from one of the forts by Luis Ghilardi  and his company. Some of the bigger caliber guns did significant damage to the flagship Pallas, which almost sank in the clash. The bombardment of Acapulco by the French Pacific fleet lasted for one more day and shortly thereafter a squadron of one hundred sailors marched into Acapulco on January 16 and fired bullets into the town for three days, which was deserted at that time except for the local garrison that lost some men in the skirmishes. Finally the French spiked some of the fort guns, throwing a number into the sea and returned to the ships and left the bay to Siguantanejo, where they assessed the condition of Pallas and came to the conclusion that it was hit by about 15–16 shells in the hull and moved to Mazatlán dockyard for repair.
caption: Juan Álvarez Commander-in-chief of Acapulco
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